Gyroscopic device



SePt- 19, 1939- J. B. DEARING 2,173,228 l GYRoscoBIc DEVISE l Filed oct. 29, 1957 12181110 te Indie aicuf` //v 36 n Snventor Gttorneg Patented Sept. 19, 1939 Grnoscoric DEVICE John B..Deari`ng,'lien Avon, Pa., assignor to Radioy Corporation of America, ka corporation of Delj aware Applicationfoetober es, 1937,'. semil No. 171,727 's 1 abonim; (ci. 335-204) My invention relates to a directional gyroscopic motor which is arranged to remotely indicate. More particularly, my invention is a gyroscopic directional device which operates as a servo mech-V 'Ihere are numerous applications off-the directional gyroscope to aircraft indicating instruments. The conventional arrangement of lthe directional gyroscope is one in which a small rapidly revolving rotor is mounted within gimbal rings which permit the mounting to rotatefreely in all directions, and at the same time permit a rigidity along the rotor axis so that the direction y of the rotor axis remains substantially constant Il with respect to a reference line. In such directional gyros, the indicating scale is iixed on the trument. In many cases, a remote indication or a remote control is desired.

Since the gyroscopic rotor is a very small de' '20 v ice operated at relatively low power, it is not 'practical to apply substantial loads to the instrument because of the reactive eect-of such loads.

I propose to use the directional gyro as a servo mechanism in which a minimum or negligible g3 amount of reaction is applied to the gyroscopic device.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide means wherein a remote indication may be given of the operation of a directional gyroscopic .au device. Anotherrob'jectof my invention is to provide means whereby a directional gyroscope may be used as a servo mechanism.- A further object o! my invention is to provide means whereby remote control or' remote indication may be effected 33 by ya low reactance coupling to a gyroscopic device.

My invention may be best understood by reference to the. accompanying drawing, 'in which:

Figure 1 is a horizontal view, partly in section, o of one embodiment of my invention, and

Figure 2 is a sectional view along the line Referring to Fig. 1; within a housing is ro,-

'tatably mounted a gyroscopic device 3. The gyro- 45 scopic device may be operated by compressed air or a vacuum'. `rotor 5 which ,includes buckets 1 whereby it may be driven at high speed. The buckets 'I terminate in anges 9 which assist in maintaining the rigid- 50 ity of the gyroscopic axis Il. The axis of the rotor is horizontally mounted in a suitable ring I3 'which is supported by a pairot trunnions I5 -I'I.

The trunnions are mounted in a. hollow cylindrical member or chamber I9 at right angles to the rotor axis I3. v

'I'he gyroscopic device consists o'f a The hollow cylindrical memberwlS has bolted within ita nozzlellk .from which the compressed airis directedinto thetbucketsjl. yThe air-is fed to the nozzle through a iitting 2?` which isconnected-to the nozzle through :asuitable kcommuni- 5 f cating channel 25. 'I'herhollowcylindricalmem-a ber I9 includes .ai pair ofexhaustrportsgzl" Whichv are 'spaced diametrically opposite veach other; These ports' are .preferably tapered y'so that Y they are also eiective asairnozzles. z; t 10V The hollow cylindrical member I9 isv vertically supported by suitable' trunnions 3I.y33.. The

. lower one 33 of these trunnionsis mounted in the lower portion of the .housing|,while the upper trunnion 3l is mounted in a rotatable member 35. l5 The rotatable member is mounted on a shaft 31 Y which has its bearing in the upper portion of the housing I. The rotatable member includes a.Y downwardly extending skirt 39. Ihe lower portion of this skirt includes vanes 4I which are po- 20 sitioned substantially opposite the exhaust air ports ,2T-29. The vanes 4I are arranged to extend in opposite directions in each quadrant of the skirt whereby pairs of vanes extending in opposite directions form diagonally opposite pairs of symmetrical openings 43, 45 in the skirt 39. The housing I may include one or more orifices 4I through which the used air mayl be exhausted.

The operation of the device is substantiallyas -followsz Compressed air, which is fed from any suitable source through' the fitting Ai3', passes through the channel 25 to the air nozzle 2|. The compressed air from the nozzle drives the gyrosc'opic rotor 5 in a clockwise direction whereby the rotor assumes a rigidity in accordance with gyroscopic principles which are well known to those skilled in the art. The compressed air within the hollow cylinder I9 escapes ythrough the .ports 21-29. These ports, as previously described, act

as air nozzles with respect to the vanes 4I in the 40 skirt of the rotatable member. The eiect of the compressed air from the pair of nozzles is to turn the rotatable member until the pairs of vanes forming the symmetrical openings 43-45 in the skirt are directly opposite the pair of air nozzles. 45

If the aircraft or the like, on which the housing is xedly mounted, turns from a desired course, the hollow cylindrical member I9 will maintain its position in accordance with the well known operation'ot a directional gyroscope. However, 50 the rotatable member will then be momentarily displaced with lrespect to the pair of air nozzles 2T-29, which then directA the compressed air against the vanes 4I in the skirt of the rotatable member. This cause the rotatable member to u in the skirt are directly opposite'the -move may position of the diametrically opposite air names lil-5 I9.V That is, the coupling between Since the operation of the rotatable member depends upon equal and opposite air blasts, it will be apparent that there will be substantially no reactive effect eu pon the gyroscopic rotor. It should also be understood that the vanes 4I in the rotatable member 3l are suiiciently spaced from the air nozzles 21-29 so that the 'reaction is substantially on the air blast itself rather than upon the hollow cylindrical member the rotatable member and the cylindrical member may be said to have low reactance. It should also be understood that the shaft 31 which is attached to the 'rotatable member may be extended to operate any remote indicator or device, such as a pointer 38 or the like. The shaft may obviously include-a flexible portion.

Thus I have described a gyroscopic directional device which may be used as a servo mechanism. It is also apparent that th'edevice which I have described will exert a minimum of reactive force on the gyroscopic' device itself. While I have used the expression compressed air in describing the device, thev operation is essentially the same when a'vacuum is applied in place of the compressed air. The foregoing arrangement may be adapted to numerous types of remote control or remote ananas indication o! operation of a directional gyrosccpe.

I claim as my invention:

l. A gyroscopic device including `a casing Iorming a` closed chamber, a directional gyroscope mounted tor two degrees of horizontalfreedom within said chamber, means mounting said casing torpivotal movement about a.` substantially vertical axis, means introducing compressed air into said chamber to spin the gyro rotor, there being an aperture in said casing forming an air jet exhausting said air from the casing, a rotatable member mounted adjacent said chamber coaxial thereof, and means carried by said rotatable member and coacting with said jet' whereby the member is stabilized in azimuth by the casing.

2. A gyroscopic device including a casing forming a closed chamber, a directional gyroscope mounted for two degrees of horizontal freedom within said chamber, means mounting said casing for pivotal movem'ent about a substantially vertical axis, means-introducing compressed air into said chamber to spin the gyro rotor, there being an aperture in'said casing forming an air jet exhausting said air from the casing, a rotatable member mounted adjacent said chamber coaxial thereoi, and means carried by said rotatable member including a skirt portion-having vanes arranged in opposite directions in each quadrant of said skirt and adapted to coact withv said iet whereby the member is stabilized in azimuth bythe casing.

v JOHN B. BEARING. 

